Most school competitions reward the right answer. This one doesn’t have one. You’ll receive a real company situation and a case document, six to eight pages of context, numbers, and constraints, that ends in a single decision a real executive would have to make.
Your job isn’t to summarize the case back to us. It’s to read the situation, weigh the realistic options against each other, and defend a recommendation in writing within a word limit, the way analysts actually do it.
Real companies, real decisions, no textbook answer. Pick a track, then prove you’d have called it right.
A leading EV maker is losing ground on price to lower-cost rivals, and a promised sub-$25,000 model never shipped; engineering resources went to robotaxis and robots instead. US EV tax credits have also lapsed.
Decision: Build a genuinely low-cost EV and cannibalize existing margins, or hold the premium line and bet growth on autonomy instead of volume?
A major streaming platform now pays zero royalties on tracks under 1,000 annual streams, redistributing that money to higher-volume artists. It calls this fraud filtering; independent musicians call it getting locked out to subsidize artists already succeeding.
Decision: Roll back the threshold to protect artist goodwill, or hold firm since the platform’s economics depend on it?
A major fashion house showed sandals closely resembling a GI-protected regional craft footwear design, without credit. Backlash followed from artisans, officials, and media over appropriation and lost compensation.
Decision: Apologize and negotiate a licensing/artisan deal, quietly drop the design, or defend it as independent work, each with different costs to reputation and legal exposure?
1st Prize
₹2,500 Amazon Gift Card + Certificate + 1-Month Free PIPPAMS Access
2nd Prize
₹2,000 Amazon Gift Card + Certificate
3rd Prize
₹1,500 Amazon Gift Card + Certificate
Age: 13–18 years
Grade: Grades 9 to 12 (as of 2026); Homeschooled students welcome
Citizenship/Residency: Open to students worldwide
Graduation Year: Students who graduated in 2025 are not eligible
Cost: Participation is completely free
Submission Deadline
November 29th, 2026
Boost your college applications with a case competition modeled on university-level business programs
Sharpen the skills that actually matter in business: reading ambiguity, weighing tradeoffs, and defending a decision under scrutiny
Compete against students from around the world on a real, unreleased business case
Get access to PIPPAMS, a powerful tool for extracurricular tracking and college readiness
Case document goes live for everyone, no registration required to view it
Write your response (max 1,500 words) following the required structure: Situation, Options, Recommendation
Add one optional single-page exhibit if it strengthens your recommendation
Save as a PDF. Include your name, school, and grade on the first page
No. Only one report per student is allowed.
Yes! As long as you meet the age and grade criteria.
Reports exceeding 1,500 words (excluding citations/references) may be disqualified.
No. Any AI-generated content will lead to disqualification.
No. The competition is completely free.
Have any doubts or need clarification before submitting your essay?
Email us at essayprize@essai.in, we’re here to help.
